Estimates, starting bids, increments, the premium and the two ways to bid. Everything on this page is a published number, not an opinion.
Most people who hesitate at their first auction are not unsure about the object. They are unsure about the mechanics: what an estimate commits them to, what they will actually pay, and what happens if they are not at a screen at 9:00 AM. All of that is published, and none of it is complicated.
Estimate and starting bid are different numbers
The estimate is a range our specialists publish before the sale, based on the object, its condition and what comparable pieces have made. It is a forecast, not a floor and not a ceiling.
The starting bid is the number the lot actually opens at, and at Circa it sits well below the low estimate. Lot 3, a large Willy Guhl bowl planter on a concrete stand, is estimated at $1,600 to $2,400 and opens at $800. Lot 29, a Charlotte Perriand pine bench for Les Arcs 1600, is estimated at $1,200 to $1,800 and opens at $600. Lot 67, a Roger Capron ceramic and wood coffee table, is estimated at $2,000 to $3,000 and opens at $1,000.
How the bid climbs
Increments are fixed and published with the sale. They step up as the price does.
- From $0: $50 increments
- From $1,000: $100 increments
- From $5,000: $250 increments
- From $10,000: $500 increments
- From $50,000: $1,000 increments
This matters for setting a maximum. If you decide $3,000 is your limit on a lot in the $100 band, your real limit is $3,000, and the platform will not place a bid at $3,050 on your behalf. Choose a number that sits on an increment.
What you will pay
The buyer's premium at Circa is 20 percent, added to the hammer price. A lot hammered at $1,000 invoices at $1,200 before applicable sales tax. Work backwards from the total you are willing to pay rather than forwards from the hammer, because the premium is the number most first-time bidders forget.
Invoices are due within 72 hours. Pickup is within 10 days of the sale, at 249 South Mission Road. Circa does not pack or ship, and can provide a list of preferred shippers on request.
Absentee, or live
There are two ways to bid, and they suit different temperaments.
- Absentee. You leave a maximum in advance. The platform bids for you in increments and stops at your number. You are not present, you cannot change your mind, and you will never overpay by momentum. Best for anyone with a firm limit or a Saturday morning.
- Live. You watch the lot come up and bid in real time. You can respond to a quiet room, and you can also talk yourself into one more increment. Best when you want to read how a lot is going.
Both require registration on bid.circaauctionhouse.com before the sale, and registration is not instant, so it is worth doing during preview week rather than at 8:55 on the day.
The three things to do before you bid
- Read the condition report, and if anything is unclear, request additional images or measurements. Silence is not a condition report.
- Measure the space, then measure the lot. Auction dimensions are given in inches and are listed in full on every Circa lot page.
- Decide how it leaves the building. A concrete planter is a two-person lift and a monumental fountain is a truck. That decision belongs before the bid, not after.
Bidding on Escape to the Modernist Garden opens Saturday 12 September 2026 at 9:00 AM PT. Preview is at Mission Road; book a viewing and see the lot in person if you can.
